University | 9:02 pm | February 11, 2013 | By Julia Zorthian

Cory Booker LAW ’97 named Class Day speaker

Cory Booker LAW '97 will be this year's Class Day speaker.
Cory Booker LAW '97 will be this year's Class Day speaker. Photo by Вени Марковски/Creative Commons.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker LAW ’97 will travel from New Jersey to New Haven on May 19 to deliver the Class Day speech to seniors and their family members.

Class Day Co-Chairs Jonny Barclay ’13 and Chantal Ghanney ’13 announced Booker as the Class Day speaker in an email to the class of 2013 on Monday night.

Booker has served as the mayor of Newark since 2006, and is currently serving his second term. His efforts in office have included supporting charter schools in Newark and reducing the city’s crime rates, but he has gained media attention for actions such as shoveling a Newark resident’s driveway and rescuing his neighbor from a house fire.

Last month, Booker formed a Senate Campaign Committee by filing paperwork with the Federal Election Commission, completing the first step toward fundraising for the 2014 Senate race. Booker has said he intends to run for the Senate, but has not officially announced his campaign.

University President Richard Levin said he is excited about Booker’s selection, and that Yale is very proud of its alumnus.  Booker attended Stanford University as an undergraduate and Yale Law School as a graduate student — just as University President Richard Levin and President-elect Peter Salovey did, Levin pointed out.

“Cory Booker is an extraordinary young leader who’s done a tremendous job in Newark,” Levin added.

Class Day speakers in recent years have included journalist Barbara Walters, actor Tom Hanks, former President Bill Clinton LAW ’73, author Christopher Buckley ’75, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and journalists Fareed Zakaria ’86 and Anderson Cooper ’89.

Booker has delivered eight commencement speeches since 2009, most recently last spring at Stanford.

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